I hail from a small town Amritsar, famous for Golden Temple and adjacent to Indo Pak border at Wagah. I completed my examination when the news of a sponsored trip to Melbourne created a flutter in my house! I cannot stop dreaming about the most wonderful city and what I plan to see and do there! I am building castles in the air and plan see them unfold as per itinerary envisioned !
DAY 1- Arrive in Melbourne in early morning
After arriving in Melbourne on the first day morning, I checked into the hotel and after a quick shower and breakfast headed for Flinders Street which has a huge railway station, in the heart of the city.
Flinder's Street Station , and a Brown Tram
This station has an identical design with the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminal (CST) in Mumbai. According to a story both Flinder’s Street station and CST , Mumbai were designed by an architect in England. Due to some mix up the designs got exchanged! Melbourne wanted the station facing Elizabeth Street rather than the Swanston Street as it is now! Both these structures have a great resemblance. This place is a bubbling with activity and the sparkling Yarra River flows nearby. The whole area is known as the CBD( Central Business District) where many banks, hotels and other business centers are located. From here I walked along the Flinder’s Street to see the iconic Young & Jackson hotel where the famous nude painting ‘Chole’ adorns the walls for more than a century.
Chloe's painting
This hotel has been beautifully restored and has boutique bars and classical pubs. St Paul’s Cathedral is located next to the hotel. This church with tall spires is the seat of Anglicans in Melbourne and Victoria.
New Year Celebration at Federation Square
At a stone’s throw is the famous Federation Square which has one of the biggest areas for exhibitions, cultural events and has been show casing the history of the city since 1901! In the evening the place becomes even livelier with giant screens exhibiting movies and also cultural programs in the huge arena! The place is provided with complimentary Wi Fi so the visitors can browse or send pictures back home! Next, I walked along to see the Royal Botanical Garden in the vicinity. It has the freshest air, stunning vistas, tranquil Ornamental Lake and the finest flora ! The garden is also a natural habitat of kookaburras, cockatoos, swans and eels adding color to the place. Melbourne is a very tourist friendly city that offers free ride on Chocolate Brown Tram and shuttle bus service is available for sight- seeing the CBD area by ‘hopping on and hopping off’ as often. I then boarded the tram to see the City Museum, Treasury Gardens, and Parliament House building which are treasure troves. The City museum or the Old Treasury Building showcases the gold vaults where the gold was stowed during the era of Gold Rush! The Parliament House is a regal structure constructed in the 19th century and if lucky, one can witness the house in session. I continued the tram ride and stopped over at State Library, Flagstaff gardens, Digital harbor appreciating their architecture and reached Eureka Skydeck 88.
Eureka Skydeck 88
It is the tallest building in the southern hemisphere, and offers a fairyland view of the city as the sun goes down and the lights come on, from the 88thfloor viewing gallery. It is the only observatory in the world that gives ‘The EDGE’ experience of watching the city from a glass cubical projecting 3m out of the building at a height of 300m! I have butterflies fluttering in my stomach at the very thought of it!
Hosier Street- Artwork
Melbourne has one of the finest dining restaurants like ‘Attica’ where one has to do booking months in advance to relish the creations of Ben Shwery’s creative dishes at an astronomical price of $125 per head! After a sumptuous dinner there, a short walk around the lanes and arcades of Hosier and Flinder street would be in order to have a peep into the street art. This place competes with the Berlin Wall in showcasing art and wins!
As I was about to retire the telephone rang and I heard the voice of Nisha, my cousin who lives in Melbourne with her husband. She conveyed her unhappiness for not telling her that I would be in her city. Nisha told me that she would come and meet me in the morning and show me the places around!
Day 2 in Melbourne
After waking up, Nisha came and joined me for breakfast. She promised me a picnic that I will not forget easily. At 8 AM sharp we hopped into their car and took off in the direction of St Kilda that is a beach expanse with pristine white sand. Many people were jogging along the beach and some children were building sand dunes, even though it was fairly early in the morning. We spent about an hour on this popular beach enjoying the whiff of fresh sea breeze and also saw the Luna Park which is one of the biggest amusement park. ‘Lentil as Anything ‘ is an interesting restaurant located here where one can pay as he deems fit for what he eats!
Puffing Billy on Trestle bridge
We turned in the direction of Dandenong and passed through Brighton . The road was narrow and we could see some cute Koalas on the trees in the thick growth. Suddenly I heard the sound of a train and turned to see ‘Puffing Billy’. This steam engine train is more than a century old and was nearing the Monbulk Creek Trestle bridge! It was an amazing view to see the vintage train going over the quaint old bridge! We then stopped over for lunch and then continued our journey to Philip Island that is almost 75 km away. It was a very pleasant ride through the lush green verdant woods! The views of the ocean and the Koala Animal park at the destination was memorable.
Koala
The grand finale was at the sunset when we saw scores of Little Penguins waddling up the beach to return home on the sand dunes. It is perhaps one of the best processions I had ever seen in my life.
Little Penguin parade
We then returned back to Melbourne as the streets were lit with neon lights casting a magic spell. Nisha asked if I would like to try a hand at ‘Black Jack’. I did not understand and then she took me to Crowne Level 1 Casino, which was located near the hotel! I had never seen so many gambling enthusiasts, fun filled atmosphere and live music before!
It was getting late so Nisha bid goodbye she told me to be ready for yet another surprise the next day!
Day 3 in Melbourne
I jumped out of the bed at 6 AM as the alarm rang! I had slept like a log after the long day. At 7.30 AM Nisha was there yet again in a yellow top and a flowing skirt looking fresh as ever! She told me that we would visit the Great Ocean Road and it would be another long day. My eyes popped out in disbelief as I never imagined that I would get an opportunity to undertake the most magnificent road journey! Before we left the city we all had a quick bite at Queen Victoria Market which has more than 600 shops but in morning only a few were open.
Queen Victoria Market
The hot brew of coffee and a donut at ‘Coffea’ was very refreshing before taking a long road trip. We took the route of Hopper’s Crossing- Avalon-Geelong-Bellbrae –Angelsea-Apollo Bay – Great Otway National Park- Princetown and finally the Twelve Apostles. The entire route was an experience which can just be summarized as ‘AMAZING’. The car kept going along the coastline with shimmering blue sea waves beating down the white sand beaches and boulders. We stopped over a couple of times as fingers itched to take photographs of the scenic beauty all around! Various kinds of fungi grow in the Otway National park that maintain the ecological balance of this region and at night ‘fire flies’ descend in hordes to light up the forest area like a ‘carnival of nature’. The final stop was the Twelve Apostles that jut out of the blue sea skywards providing a very spectacular view.
Twelve Apostles
The trip took the entire day and the return journey was equally fun filled, with stopover at a cheese factory and vineyard where I tasted the most awesome cheese and sparkling wine! We returned back to Melbourne but not before seeing a kangaroo family crossing the road .The city was getting ready for yet another glorious night!
Goodbye Melbourne
Next morning I was to return to India by an afternoon flight so for the last time Nisha came over took me to Fitzroy Garden where hundreds of hot air balloons were getting ready for a morning flight! The Orange Color balloon was inflated when I ,Nisha and her husband climbed the Gondola attached to the balloon! The sky was turning red as the sun was breaking and the balloon ascended upwards giving a lovely view of the beautiful city as it was waking up. I could see the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Olympic stadium from the height which were a treat to watch . Later, I boarded my flight back to Delhi with a heavy heart of leaving behind the sweet memories of ‘Amazing Melbourne’!
PS: 1. This is the story of a fantsy trip to Melbourne of a 21 year old lad from a small town in India
for 'What's your reason for falling in love with Melbourne, the most livable city in the world? '
(http://www.visitmelbourne.com/India.aspx) and Indiblogger sponsored contest
2. Which of these places would you like to visit and why in Melbourne ( See the link https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2r0ptqQ1wBCimcqdfsBCks1YVaFDczLh.) Please Respond by 04 Jan 15. The best answer will win an exciting gift voucher!!